Hey ya'll. Im Trey. Im new to the forum here but i have owned my Ranger for quiet some time now. I love it and its my baby. But after perusing around on here for a bit I want to customize it and lift it even more. Heres the catch. Its a Sport model, and as most of you know it has the dreaded open diff in it. I want to lift it and change the differential to a limited slip or something similar, and after my Falken Wildpeak tires wear down I want to put 33's on it. Can I have some input on it? Any ones opinions on the build? And any suggestions for anything is welcome.

 

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Suspension Tech - Ranger-Forums - The Ultimate Ford Ranger Resource

 

Cheapest.. easiest lift is a 3" body lift. Look on Summit or something.. it's around $200. You can swap in a 31 spline axle from certain FX4 level 2 rangers that came with L/S. Also.. explorer axles a lot of times come with L/S, as well as disc brakes. You just need to weld on new spring perches and shock mounts.. as explorer axles are Spring Under Axle, and Rangers are Spring Over Axle.

You can always just keep what you have and put a locker or L/S or whatever in yours.. and swap disc brakes from a mustang 94-04 on it.

 

What gears do you have? I know some of those models came with a 3.55. If you will be going to 33s you should upgrade to 4.30s if you do lots of highway driving (only for 2wd) or more commonly 4.56. If you will already be changing the gears the labor for a limited slip does not add much to the cost, assuming you are not doing the labor yourself.

Ideally finding a 31-spline from an FX4 level 2 with 4.10s would be cheaper, as ryan suggested.

The alternative to a body lift is a spindle lift for the front and an AAL or chevy shackle in the rear.

You can also run the camburg 6.0 kit if you have $2000 to drop.

 

I am not sure what gears I have a 2006 Ford Ranger Sport model, i know they vary. However i just wanted to upgrade the gearing system anyways to a 4.56 like you said. However, I do have a question about you and Ryan's suggestion of a "31- spline from an FX4 level 2..." I try to be as knowledgeable as i can so if you could explain to me what that is that would be awesome! I am kinda new to the whole suspension and gearing change thing and i have been researching that too but i need as much information as i can get because i want to make a competent decision.

 

And if anyone has any pictures with there trucks around my year with a torsion bar if they have lifted them and they are willing to kinda give me a break down that would be great!

 

Rangers come with a 7.5 axle, an 8.8 28-spline axle (which you have) and the FX4 rangers came with an 8.8 31-spline axle. Splines are essentially the number of grooves on an axle, but you would be fine strength wise with either one. Ryan suggested swapping in the 31-spine axle because it comes with a torsen limited slip, and not a clutch-based limited slip which other 28-spine rangers cane come equipped with. Look at your axle tag and then google ford ranger axle tag and it will tell you. Or just tell us the axle code

 

Most rangers have either a 7.5 or 8.8 rear differential. The number being the size of the ring gear in inches. They also have 28 spline axle shafts. In the FX4 rangers, however, they had 31 spline axle shafts that were slightly larger and tougher. They also came factory with a limited slip differential that is very similar to the eaton truetrac which I have installed in mine. There are no wear parts or clutch packs like a conventional limited slip. Most people who swap in a FX4 axle di so because its stronger and a direct bolt on, unlike explorer axles which require welding spring plates and shock tabs.

 

Ahhhhhh I understand now.v Thanks so much to the both of you for explaining it. So an axel of an FX4 it is then! Is there anything i need to watch for when i go to the junkyard to pick it up? I would have my buddies dad who owns his own auto shop install it. But anything i need to watch for?

 

would do you need to be broken down?

 

What suspention parts are on thier, what axel is in the rear and such. And the rough amount it cost to do those mods

 

well a spindle lift is the lift that i would recommend, $300 for spindles and a shackle in the back. it keeps the stock ride and you can still crank the torsion bars to make it level. 33s fit fine with this lift.

as far as axles, not too knowledgeable in those yet but my buddy has a 2002 edge 2wd 3.0 with 4.56s in a 7.5 axle with 35s. im guessing yours is a 3.0 but id say go with that ratio if 33s or taller. im currently in the process of regear and im picking up an 8.8 this weekend and having it regeared soon so ill be able to help out a little more after i start that whole process

 

Hey thanks man!

 

Did you ever check what axle/gears you have in your truck right now? Post the numbers on the axle tag, which is located somewhere on the axle.

 

Shoot man, i forgot sorry. I just got out of medic class and im watching a movie with my pops. Ill go look at the numbers afterwards (give me a couple hours and ill post them). Sorry!

 

Ok so i went out and looked, all i could really make out is V316.

 

Ok so i looked again and i found its a "97". Its an open 8.8 with 4.10

97

open 8.8" (description)

2750 (capacity)

4.10 (ratio)

 

That's what I had in mine. Now its 4.88 L/S

 

Thats what im going to get in mine if i can find one. Down here in jacksonville 4x4 rangers or fx4s are RARE i cant find any of those parts haha.

 

You aren't going to find 4.88s in a stock Ranger axle. You'll have to buy the R&P separately.

 

I bit the bullet and put over 1k in mine by the time I paid labor and including the disc brakes. No FX4 stuff in Arcadia either. I had to go to Bradenton in order to find a junk yard.

 

That's what I assumed you had, just wanted to make sure. You can do the lift and survive with 4.10s and an open diff for a while, it will just be slow. Most people on here will recommend 4.56 gears for 33s which do not come in FX4s.

So, even if you get a new axle you are going to have to put new gears in it. IMO, you should keep your axle since you know what it has been through and no surprise problems (assuming it doesn't have any) and put in a limited slip when you put in new gears.

 

Ah yeah but i think im going to change the differential just to be safe cause my open diff sucks ***. i hate it! I have found, what i thinkn to be a stock axle that is numbered R8 and it does have a 4.56 in it. However i am not really sure where to find it. Like i said finding the new axle will be like digging gold in a cement factory haha.

 

What parts did you end up with? how much did you pay for them? if you dont mind me asking?

 

My sig has the gear/diff I used and I am doing a mustang cobra conversion for brakes. I had $500 in the L/S $250 in the gears $500 in labor for them. Brakes will probably be around $500 by the time I'm done